Il Milan resumes the race, the Juve collapses. Saturday's advances overturn the predictions from the day before, which saw the Bianconeri as favorites due to the absence of cups. Instead the Rossoneri, fresh from the match against Newcastle, beat the Verona, while the Bianconeri were soundly beaten by Sassuolo, in a match full of individual errors. To restore things a little, the draw of the Lazio, appeared predictable and subdued against the Monza, as if the 3 points were not mandatory: instead they were, so much so that the Biancocelesti now occupy a very sad 15th place, moreover with the possibility of being overtaken by Udinese e Cagliari.
Sassuolo – Juventus 4-2, Allegri bitter: “We had the wrong mental approach”
The most sensational result is certainly that of Juventus, both because the Sassuolo he certainly wasn't going through a golden moment, both in terms of the way in which he arrived. Rarely, in fact, have we seen the Bianconeri make so many mistakes, as well as calling into question matches that at least seemed destined for a draw. This time, however, the Lady appeared distracted from the start, so much so that she went behind in the 12th minute due to Szczesny, who was unfortunate in deflecting Laurienté's unpretentious shot into the goal. Shortly afterwards Chiesa favored Vina's own goal for the momentary 1-1 (21'), but at the end of the first half Berardi, himself, found the 2-1 with a great shot from distance, which however originated from a wrong pass by Gatti (41'). Many, too many errors, and the inertia was also confirmed in the second half: Chiesa equalized with a deflected shot (78'), but shortly after Szczesny combined another by centrally blocking a Laurienté shot and Pinamonti took advantage, finding the incredible 3- 2 (82'). The exclamation point, so to speak, was put by Gatti in full injury time (95'), scoring an own goal that would make Gialappa's happy for the 4-2 final.
“It was a match where we lost our mental concentration, we were not continuous and aggressive on every ball – he underlined Allegri -. Already at the beginning I had the feeling that we were in trouble in the area, this hadn't happened to us against Lazio or Empoli and this should make us reflect. We played a "butterfly" game and this should make us reflect, but we weren't phenomena before and we haven't become poor now."
Milan – Verona 1-0, Pioli enjoys Leao: “Sometimes there is too much negativity”
Opposite mood in the house Milan, where we can finally celebrate the return to victory, albeit at the end of a match reviewable for play and performance. The performance of the Rossoneri, lined up with the 3-4-3 by Pioli after two months of 4-3-3 (including summer friendlies), will certainly not go down in history, but what mattered most was the result and the Devil got it, also thanks to the most talked about man of the week. Lion, highly criticized after his unsuccessful backheel against Newcastle, redeemed himself by scoring the only gol of the match, which began 25' late due to a downpour that rained on Milan in the early afternoon, which had even called its progress into question. But then, thanks to more benevolent weather, the teams were able to play, even if the element of greatest note, in addition to the aforementioned goal by Leao (7'), was the terrible behavior of the fans Verona, authors of whistles and chants during the minute of silence for Napolitano and Lodetti.
“We always play to win and these three points are important because it has been a tiring week – analysis by Pioli -. We missed some plays between the lines, but we worked hard and this victory will do us good. Leao? Sometimes there is a little exaggerated criticism and too much negativity. The group is responsible and attitudes count more than words, the boys have been close to him and he is making his way. He must be happy and he is because he feels good with us and at Milan, even withstanding these pressures."
Lazio – Monza 1-1, Sarri: “Our priority is to get results again”
Appointment with the victory still postponed for the Lazio, who left amidst boos at the Olimpico after yet another negative performance in the championship, certified by1-1 final. And to think that the Biancocelesti had unlocked it early thanks to a penalty from Immobile (12'), giving the impression of being able to take the full spoils without too many difficulties. The Monza However, he didn't lose heart, on the contrary he continued to play his football and in the 36th minute he was rewarded by Gagliardini, who was good at being ready and sending a vacant ball into the net. The result remained unchanged even in the second half, with Lazio really dangerous only once (Immobile posts) and Palladino's red and whites responding blow for blow. The European efforts weigh heavily, but the only 4 points in 5 days (the club's worst start since 3 points for a win existed) cannot be explained only in this way: Sarri has the task of rediscovering the geometries and patterns of play that are so dear to him, otherwise the season risks taking a turn for the worse.
“The priority would be to get a full result because it would give us enthusiasm and take away the anxiety we have – the comment from Sarri -. We need to find offensive danger again because we create little, in the defensive phase we are giving some signs, but the solidity of last year isn't there. We are a team that has to solve problems, also because playing after the Champions League is difficult for everyone, let alone for us who are not used to it."
Empoli – Inter (12.30 pm, Dazn and Sky)
League leaders Inter thus find themselves faced with a great opportunity, because a victory a Empoli it would confirm them at the top of the table, with a 5 point advantage over Juventus. Not bad after just five days, but to make the scenario come true we will have to beat the Tuscans, last in the standings with zero goals scored, yet encouraged by the dismissal of Zanetti and the return of Andreazzoli, who could give them new drive and morale. Inzaghi must not take anything for granted, but he too knows that he is faced with a very tempting opportunity, to be exploited at all costs to reiterate to everyone the strength of his Inter.
Empoli - Inter, the lineups: Inzaghi finds Calhanoglu again, Thu-La returns in attack
The match promises to be quite calm, so the Nerazzurri coach, despite finding Calhanoglu from the start, will continue the turnover that began in San Sebastiàn, albeit in decidedly less massive doses. His 3-5-2 will thus see Sommer in goal, Pavard, Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni in defense, Darmian, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan and Dimarco in midfield, Lautaro and Thuram in attack. The new Empoli Andreazzoli, however, will abandon the 4-3-3 attempted by Zanetti to return to the 4-3-1-2 of the past, with Berisha between the posts, Bereszynski, Ismajli, Luperto and Pezzella in the defensive department, Fazzini, Marin and Simone Sticks in the midfield, Baldanzi behind the offensive pair of Cambiaghi and Caputo.
Bologna – Naples (18pm, Dazn)
Also very delicate on Sunday Naples, forced to win in order not to lose further ground from the top of the standings. The trip of Bologna it's not easy, especially after Braga's defeat in the Champions League, but the Italian champions must necessarily find a way to get rid of it, otherwise they will certify a crisis already in the air after the missteps with Lazio and Genoa. We will need a Napoli that is very different from that of Wednesday, both in terms of the ratio of opportunities created/goals (huge scoring opportunities were wasted in Braga's first half) and the performance of some individuals, Kvaratskhelia above all. The blue team seems distantly related to the glittering team of last year, but Garcia must be able to reinvigorate the group: only in this way, in fact, will he be able to keep up with the others and fight for the Scudetto.
Garcia: “We only made a mistake in the second half against Lazio. The fans? On the street they compliment me"
“We have shown from the beginning of the season that we are an attacking team, we have always scored goals, we could have even scored more, even in Braga, but sometimes you need a few millimeters on your side – he underlined Garcia -. For the rest, we conceded 5 goals in the league, too many, but we only conceded 8 shots so it's not like we're out of position or conceding a lot. We can improve on the game, even if we only made a mistake in the second half against Lazio and we are missing a result that could make us feel very good. Every time I meet the fans in the city they encourage me, they say they are with me, I speak directly to them. Then we work every day to improve, obviously we won in Braga in a deserved manner but we should have protected ourselves with more goals."
Bologna – Napoli, the lineups: Garcia loses Rrahmani and Juan Jesus, it's Natan's turn
The evening promises to be complex, also because Garcia will be forced to do without both starting defenders, who have stopped due to a muscle problem. Without Rrahmani e Juan Jesus the time will come Nathan, until now a mysterious object of Napoli like Lindstrom, forced to be present on the day of his debut as a starter. Garcia's 4-3-3 will be made up of Meret in goal, Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Maran and Mario Rui in defence, Anguissa, Lobotka and Zielinski in midfield, Politano, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia in attack. Usual 4-2-3-1 also for Thiago Motta, who will respond with Skorupski between the posts, Posch, Beukema, Lucumì and Kristiansen in the defensive department, Aebischer and Freuler in the midfield, Ndoye, Ferguson and Karlsson behind the lone striker Zirkzee.
Turin – Rome (20.45pm, Dazn)
Finally, the Rome di Mourinho, waiting for a trip as treacherous as the one in Turin, moreover just three days before the European efforts of Tiraspol. What could help the Giallorossi could be morale, again acceptable after the victories against Empoli and Sheriff, but above all after the play of the Lukaku-Dybala duo, not surprisingly already nicknamed Lu-Pa (which stands for Paulo, the team's first name). Joya). Juric's Granata, however, have no intention of being sacrificial victims, on the contrary they are experiencing a very positive moment and know well that 3 points would be worth a nice leap in the standings, as well as a link to their cousins Juventus. But Mou started too slowly to stop again: if that were the case, in fact, the controversies surrounding Roma would come back to the surface in the blink of an eye.
Turin – Rome, the lineups: Mourinho confirms the Lukaku-Dybala pairing
The Special One has to deal with theabsence of Renato Sanches, stopped again during the Europa League match and in the pits for at least 10 days. For the rest, however, he can count on the entire squad including captain Pellegrini, again skilled and enlisted, even if only for the bench. Mourinho will be able to do this deploy un 3-5-2 very respectable with Rui Patricio in goal, Mancini, Llorente and N'Dicka in defense, Kristensen, Cristante, Paredes, Bive and Spinazzola in midfield, Dybala and Lukaku in attack. Juric, fresh from successes against Salernitana and Genoa, will try to repeat themselves with a 3-4-2-1 with Milinkovic-Savic between the posts, Schuurs, Buongiorno and Rodriguez in the defensive department, Bellanova, Ricci, Tameze and Lazaro in the midfield, Vlasic and Radonjic behind the lone striker Zanabria.
